Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Autopsies On COVID Victims Show 'Dramatic' Blood-Clotting Problems
CNN: Coronavirus Autopsies: Small Vessel Blood Clotting Found In Patients, Pathologist Says
Autopsies on people who died of the coronavirus are helping doctors understand how the disease affects the body — and one of the most remarkable findings concerned blood clotting, a pathologist says. Dr. Amy Rapkiewicz, the chairman of the department of pathology at NYU Langone Medical Center, spoke to Erin Burnett on OutFront Thursday night. Some Covid-19 patients are known to develop blood clotting issues, but the degree and the extent to which that occurs was described as "dramatic" by Rapkiewicz. (Ellis and Kane, 7/10)
Los Angeles Times: COVID-19 And Blood Type: What's The Link?
If there’s one thing we want to know about COVID-19, it’s probably this: What’s my risk of getting it? Researchers have identified certain things that make some people more vulnerable than others. ... Now there’s evidence that blood type could be a risk factor too. (Kaplan, 7/9)
The New York Times: How Scientists Got Coronavirus While Trying To Find A Drug For The Disease
In January, as a frightening new virus filled hospital wards in Wuhan, China, Stephanie Giordano, a 25-year-old researcher at the drugmaker Regeneron, in a suburb of New York City, began working on a treatment for the disease. By March, the deadly coronavirus had hit home. Fearing she would get infected on the train that took her to the lab every day, she moved from her apartment in East Harlem to an Airbnb five minutes from the company’s headquarters in Tarrytown, in Westchester County. (Thomas, 7/9)
In other science news —
Stat: How Does Exercise Benefit The Aging Brain?
Exercise has been shown to slow cognitive decline in aging, but scientists haven’t known why. Now, by transfusing blood from exercising mice into sedentary ones, researchers have found a single protein, produced in the liver, that seems to underlie restorative effects in the brain. (Gaffney, 7/9)
NPR: An Enzyme Linked To Exercise Shows Potential For Enhancing Memory
Scientists say they've identified an enzyme that could help explain how exercise can slow or even reverse some signs of aging in the brain. "Exercise in a bottle" isn't around the corner, but it's not out of the question either. The idea builds on an observation a few years ago that certain parts of the brain can actually grow, even in older people. (Harris, 7/9)
